Electrical relay



Dec. 19, 1950' F. B MEN ER 2,534,873

ELECTRICAL RELAY Filed Nov. 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 o J 1 l a Q Q) SOURCE wwkw MERCURY SWITCH f 1950 F. B. MENGER v 3 ,873

ELECTRICAL RELAY Filed Nov. 12. 1948 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 19, 1 950 ELEG'l-ltICAL RELAY Francis B. Monger, Lancaster Township, Lancaster County, Pa,

Application November 12, 1948, Serial No, 59,660

This invention is directed to electrical relays and is concerned more particularly with a doubleacting relay and switch combination which will be useful to control the supply of electrical current at or close to the electrical device to be controlled or at a location in the line of wiring for the device. The relay will have many other uses, of course.

In wiring circuits, it is frequently desirable to provid for remote cont ol of a single l htin fixture for example at a plurality of ioeations and this requires the use of multiple switches at the various locations. Where there are two switches at spaced locations controlling a single lighting fixture, for example, it is necessary to run three wires of a size capable of carrying the curr t f r th fixture from both switches to the ixture. This is multi lied where the circuit is cont oll d at three or more po nts; nd, in su h installations, the wiring becomes very difllci lt and expensive and also is objectionable in tha it requires bulky switching arrangements.

flo overcome this probl m, it has been p o- Posed to provide a double acting relay in the circuit of the lighting fixture and control the relay from the desired remote locations. The relays are usually so constructed that they may e actuated with a minor amount of current applied IQr a relatively short period or time, flici n to effect the throwing of a switch o other ontroller for c mpleting the circuit for the lighting fixture. It is thus possible to wire from each relay to the various remo e wi h l cations with l gh cause, nexp y sulated wire adequate to supply energizing cur,- rent .for the relay, eliminating the need for car ryins the heavy auge Wire for supplying cur. rent to the fixture to such remote switch location andmaking it unnecessary to provide ex pensive switches with many control wires at the r mote switch locations.

M ny of the arr ngements suggested include r lays which are of deli ate constr ction and require frequent attention. Others include relays 6 Claims, ('Cl. 200111) which require snap action or tog le switches of complicated design, and such relays are quite ex.- Densive and are frequently inconsistent in their functioning. It is an object of this invention to provide a relay which is simple in construction and positive in operation.

,Another object of the invention isto provide 9, relay which requires a very minor current for a tuation and may be actuated substantially intantaneou ly upon the momentary sorely of current hereto 7 A further object oi the invention is t pro id a relay including a simple an eff ctive doubleaction swi ch,-

n order that h nvention may be more read-l 11y understood, the same w ll be de cri ed in conju ction with the atta he drawings which;

Figure l s a perspe tive View illu rati g one mbodiment of he invention; Figure 2 s a schemat cwirin 'cliaer m i us+ rating the relay Of h present invention in 1.9, circuit inc uding a plurality of lights o her, fixtures; Fi ure 3 s a, diagramm tic view bo ing a nortion of the relay in normal y open pos ti n; F es .a simila vie showing t e relayinenergized p s tion t short of ts c osed pos t on; and Figure 5 is a sim lar view showing he relay n. closed position. Referring firs o igure 1, there is d sclosed an em odiment of the inv ntion in whi the relay is arranged with a toggle'mechanisn lfang a m ury button type when The mechanis is mounted upon a panel 2 and includ s a' olenoid coil- 3.- an iron yok A consti utes a pair of neld' poles and completes the magne ic circuit or h solenoid. The sole; id 3 may beet e w ich is actua able upon the applica i n of cur rent correspon ng to tha emplo ed tor the sir ouits o be controlled.- For P' c, in house w n h ol noid 3 may be efi ive whe no volt 6 ycle cu rent s app ed o it: y i ivention, of course, is not limited to a solenoid having this particular characteristic, for it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that sqlenoids which are operable at a lower voltage may be substituted and in fact will be generally preferred or, as a matter of fact, in some instances, the solenoid could be controlled by direct our rent with a battery or 'batteries' provided for such purpose. Where the voltage to be applied to the solenoid is less than that in the normal wit-- ing, a transformer may be interposed in the ctr-l suit for the solenoid to {provide a voltage adequate for actuation as shown in Figure 2' and more fully hereinafter described.

solenoid is provided with an armature 5 which is formed or magnetic material such as soft iron. armature is fixed for rotation about a pivot point which has been diagram.- niatically illustrated at i Figures 3, .4, and In the construction-shown Figure Lthe ture 5 is attached to a supporting member 1 by means of nonmagnetic holders 8 and 9 which are fixed to the member 1. The member I is pivoted at points I!) and H to rods l2 and I3, the rod I2 being threaded into the plate 2 and held in adjusted position by a lockin nut l4, and the rod l3 being received within a bracket 15 which is fastened to the panel 2 by screws or the like, one of which is shown at IS in Figure 1. An adjusting nut arrangement I! is provided for the pivot supporting rod l3.

There is provided in the embodiment shown in Figure 1 a conventional mercury button switch l8 which is secured to the member I in properly adjusted position, as will be more fully hereinafter described. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to a combination including a mercury button switch since other types of switching arrangements may be employed such as the common type of electrical contact switches.

Referring now to Figure 3 which shows the relay in open position, it will be observed that the armature 5 which has a radius of curvature which extends from the pivot point B is free to pass through the core of the solenoid 3 without mechanical engagement with the surface thereof. When the armature is in the position shown in Figure '3 and the solenoid 3 is energized, there is a magnetic field created within the solenoid in the area 0, to the right of the armature 5, for that area is not intersected by the armature 5, and the holder 8 is, as previously mentioned, of nonmagnetic material. Upon the creation of this field in such area, the armature 5 is drawn to a position where it extends throughout the length of the opening in the core 0 and thus there is then a substantially uniform field throughout the length of the core, and the air gaps at the right and the left are equal. When this condition exists, the armature 5 will continue to move to the right by inertia until it reaches a position where the air gap on the left is greater than that on the right, as illustrated in Figure 4, whereupon the armature 5 will come to rest if unimpeded.

It will be observed by reference to Figure 3 that, with the relay in its normal position, the mercury button switch [8 is disposed with its opening I3 in disc 20 which separates the two pools of mercury, one of which is indicated at 2| and the other of which is behind the plate 20, in a position where the mercury in the respective pools will be separated and will not pass through such opening. In such position, the switch is open. When the relay assumes the position shown in Figure 4, the opening I9 will be at a point immediately in advance of a position where mercury will be free to pass through the opening and thus make an electrical connection between the two pools. When the position shown in Figure 5 is assumed, the opening l9 will be below the mercury level and the circuit will be closed. This type of mercury button is well known in the art and a further explanation is not believed to be necessary.

When the relay assumes the position shown in Figure 4 and the supply of current to the solenoid 3 is discontinued, the armature 5, having passed dead center, will move to the right and will assume a position where the end 22 is disposed within the core 0 a substantial distance from the left, as shown in Figure 5. Upon reenergization of the solenoid 3, a magnetic field will be created in the left-hand portion of the solenoid, drawing the armature to the left and the operation will be repeated, opening the circuit which includes the switch.

In Figure 1, I have illustrated a simple toggle mechanism which may be employed with the solenoid armature arrangement. This is a springactuated toggle mechanism of conventional design which comprises an arm 25 connected at its ends to panel 2 and to bracket l5. A spring 40 is provided, one end of which is attached to the arm 25 at 4|, the other end being attached to an off-center pivot 42 fixed to support 11 by a bracket 43. Thus as the armature moves over center, the toggle action is effective for continuing the movement of the armature to its final position of rest. Although a toggle action is not essential to the present invention, it is preferred to include a toggle since it makes the arrangement adaptable for universal mounting in various planes. When a toggle mechanism is incorporated, it is then not necessary to rely upon gravity to move the armature into its final open and closed positions.

Regardless of whether a toggle arrangement is employed, it will be desirable to provide an arrangement for limiting the travel of the armature in the respective open and closed positions as shown in Figures 3 and 5. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, stops 23 and 24 are provided for such purpose. They have been diagrammatically shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5.

Referring now to Figure 2 which illustrates schematically a circuit including a plurality of lamps 26, 21, and 28 which are connected to a power source by leads 29 and 30, the relay of the present invention is shown at 3| in a circuit including the lead 30 for the lights 26-28. Push buttons 32, 33 and 34 are shown and these are effective for controlling the supply of current to the solenoid of the relay 3| through lead 35. Lead 36 connects the solenoid to the other side of the power supply. The switches 32-34 may be positioned at remote locations from one another and from the lamps to be controlled, and since the current required for the relay 3| is small, the leads 35 and 36 may be of relatively small gauge, as compared with the leads 29 and 30 which supply the current for the lights 26-28.

As shown in Figure 2, the relay 3| is energized from the volt source through a voltage reducing transformer 31 which may, for example, reduce the voltage to 8 volts, making it possible to use ordinary bell wire or other low-cost wire for T the leads 35 and 36, since there is no requirement for high voltage insulation. It will be observed by reference to Figure 2 that there are three switches effective for controlling the relay 3| and there is but a single pair of leads from the current source to the relay. Simple push button contact switches may :be used. In a comparable wiring arrangement of the conventional type, it would be necessary to have a great number of wires leading from each switch to the lights and they would, of course, all have to be of the high voltage insulation type and of a gauge adequate to carry the load current. The switches would have to be interconnected and of the multiple pole, multiple throw type and would be much bulkier and more costly.

It will be understood from a consideration of Figures 3, 4 and 5 in conjunction with Figure 2 that upon the momentary closing of any one of switches 32, 33 or 34, resulting in energization and de-energization of the solenoid the relay will move fifii n e pad-tion, seen asthe open position shown in Figure 3,- to the opposite posttion, such as the closed position shown Figure or vice versa, and upon the i e-energization of therelay circuit through the actuation oiany one of switches 32, 33 or 34,. the relay will be again reversed to efiect the appropriate change inthciv circuit for the lights.- In other words", the stray so constructed that uporieach momentary application of current to the solenoid, the relay is actuated for a full movement in one direction or the other.

From the description of the embodiment of the invention illustrated on the drawings, it will be clear that I have invented a relay which is simple to fabricate and which is positive in its action. By my invention, it is possible to have a plurality of remotely located control switches with lowcost leads to the relay and with simple singleacting switches effective for controlling the circuits at such remote locations. My invention also provides a double-acting relay which is effective for moving from one control position to a second control position upon each energization.

While I have illustrated and described one embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the same is not limited thereto but may be otherwise embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A double-acting relay comprising a solenoid including a pair of field poles, a magnetic armature mounted to move with respect to the field poles to fixed opposite positions of rest upon each successive energization and tie-energization of said solenoid, means for fixing the armature at its respective opposite positions of rest upon completion of each energizing and de-energizing cycle of the relay to so dispose the armature with respect to the field poles that unbalanced gaps will exist between the field poles and the armature to draw the armature toward an opposite position of rest upon each successive energization and de-energization of said solenoid, and a switch mechanically connected to said armature and controlled by movement of said armature to said positions of rest.

2. A double-acting relay comprising a solenoid including a pair of field poles, a magnetic armature mounted to move with respect to the field poles to fixed opposite positions of rest upon each successive energization and de-energization of said solenoid, means for fixing the armature at its respective opposite positions of rest upon completion of each energizing and de-energizing cycle of the relay to so dispose the armature with respect to the field poles that unbalanced aps will exist between the field poles and the armature to draw the armature toward an opposite position of rest upon each successive energization and de-energization of said solenoid, means connected to said armature for urging the same to its respective positions of rest upon movement of said armature efiected upon each energization of said solenoid, and a switch mechanically connected to said armature and controlled by movement of said armature to said positions of rest.

3. A double-acting relay comprising a solenoid including a pair of field poles, a magnetic armature mounted for pivotal movement with respect to the field poles to fixed opposite positions of rest upon each successive energization and deenergization of said solenoid, means for fixing the armature at its respective positions of rest upon completion of each energizing and de-ener- 6 gizing cycle or the rela to so dispose the arinature with respect to the field ores that" unbalanced gaps will exist between the field poles and armature to draw the armature about its pivot toward an opposite position of rest upon each successive energization and (Te-energization of said solenoid,- and a switch mechanically connected to said armature and controlled by movement of said armature to said positions of rest.

4. A double-acting relay comprising a solenoid including an open core field winding and a pair of field poles, an arcuate magnetic armature passing through said open core and pivoted for rocking movement with respect to said field poles to fixed opposite positions of rest upon each successive energization and de-energization of said solenoid, means for fixing said armature at its respective positions of rest upon completion of each energizing and de-energizing cycle of the relay to so dispose the armature with respect to the field poles that unbalanced gaps will exist between the field poles and the armature to draw the armature about its pivot toward an opposite position of rest upon each successive energization and de-energization of said solenoid, and a switch mechanically connected to said armature and controlled by rocking movement of said armature about its pivot to said positions of rest.

5. A double-acting relay comprising a solenoid including an open core field winding and a pair of field poles, an arcuate magnetic armature passing through said open core and pivoted for rocking movement with respect to said field poles to fixed opposite positions of rest upon each successive energization and de-energization of said solenoid, means for fixing said armature at its respective positions of rest upon completion of each energizing and de-energizing cycle of the relay to so dispose the armature with respect to the field poles that unbalanced gaps will exist between the field poles and the armature to draw the armature about its pivot toward an opposite position of rest upon each successive energization and de-energization of said solenoid, toggle means for completing the movement of said armature to its respective positions of rest in the direction of movement of said armature upon each energization of said solenoid, and a switch mechanically connected to said armature and controlled by rocking movement of said armature about its pivot to said positions of rest.

6. A double-acting relay comprising a solenoid including a pair of field poles, a magnetic armature mounted to move with respect to the field poles to fixed opposite positions of rest, the movement of said armature being substantially unimpeded by said solenoid when energized so long as the gaps between the field poles and the armature are substantially equal, means for pivoting said armature for movement with respect to the field poles, the length of the armature being greater than the distance between the field poles whereby, when unbalanced gaps exist between the field poles and the armature, the armature will be past the dead center of its pivot, means for fixing the armature at its respective positions of rest upon completion of each cycle of operation of the relay to so dispose the armature with respect to the field poles that unbalanced gaps will exist between the field poles and the armature to draw the armature toward an opposite position of rest upon each successive energization of said solenoid, and a switch mechanically connected to said armature and confile of this patent:

8 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Babcock Dec. 29, 1908 Weyandt Nov. 6, 1923 Beekley May 20, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France June 29, 1936 

